Free Coloring If I were

Victims of sex assault resorting to #MeToo posts have been attacked. This made Phoebe Man think empathy is important. She has made three types of line drawings for coloring: “If I were a victim”, “If I were a perpetrator” and “If I were a bystander”. Viewers can put themselves in the shoes of these 3 kinds of people. With reference to the coloring book “Secret Garden,” coloring the line drawings can experience healing and meditation. Besides, this topic needs to be discussed freely, at length. Her studio was opened to discuss the topic and for the public to color the pictures.

Why three different kinds of shoes?
People normally have sexual desires but why someone may sexually abuse? Finkelhor（1984）said there are 4 pre-conditions for occurrence of crime:
1. The potential sexual abuser must have some motivation to have sexual contacts with the victim.
2. The potential abuser must overcome his or her own inhibitions against illegal sexual activity.
3. An opportunity to engage in sexual activity with the victim should arise.
4. The resistance of the victim to the sexual activity must be overcome.

According to Finkelhor’s theory, to prevent crimes effectively, emphasis should be on the perpetrators. He or she is the one who takes the initiative. Is there any way to appeal to the perpetrator’s conscience? How to let them know there are consequences of crime? A generally safe environment and the bystanders’ help are also essential. Does the community provide a safe environment? Can people be informed what they can and should do if they think a crime is about to happen? The potential victims should also be informed. How to strengthen them psychological and physically?
Therefore the art work “Free Coloring If I were” has 3 sets and Phoebe hopes people can have more imagination to visualise themselves as one of these 3 kinds of people.

Why coloring?

In addition to the sense of healing the process of coloring can provide, the open studio activity can gather people together to discuss and do something together, which might be able to promote a deeper understanding of the issue. The coloring objects are flowers. Returning to nature can usually generate a feeling of calm. There is space on paper for people to express their views.

Socially Engaged Art

Art can be a process of exploring the self. It takes time to find the answers. For the issue of sexual assault, Phoebe admires #MeToo victims/survivors who have had the courage to tell their stories and she think their words should be valued and supported. For those who are not ready to speak out, they do not need to do so. They should take care of themselves first. Therefore, for this open studio activity, people can choose to simply fill in the color and/or write down their opinion. The title of the work is “Free Coloring” instead of “filling in the color” because the self exists and through art we find and free the original self.


Background

The sexual assaults cases have been raising over the years is supported by Annual Reports of Hong Kong Police. As many as 916 cases of indecent assault and 56 cases were reported in 2017 from January to October, an increase of almost 10% over the same period in 2016. Even this does not reflect the reality because most of the women do not report incidents of sexual assault. A research study has found that only 11% of victims reported to the police (Ng 2005). Does it mean that people don't care about these crimes? However, impacts on victims are negative and could be life-long in some cases. Below are the words from a sexual assault survivor.

KC, 50 years old, survivor of 2 rapes,
“ One thing I always think about being a victim, now a survivor, I live a life sentence. Once I was a victim the first time I was stripped of my freedom. I haven’t gotten that back in my fifty years. Freedom. They walk the streets and I live a life sentence. I’ll live it to the day I die – I can’t shake it.”
“When both rapes happened, I learned the impact of fear – there was a knife in the first one and the second was physically violent so … I’m always worrying ‘what if’ … so I try to avoid it at all cost.”
“You’re kind of like a leper, too, if you’ve been raped.”
(Reddington and Kreisel, 2009)
Why don’t victims report their cases? Why do they mention their experiences only through anonymous channels? Why is the crime rate raising? Why is it hard to convict the offenders? According to a report of the Hong Kong Police, from 2010 to June, 2013, police received reports of 383 cases of rape and 5117 cases of indecent assault of which perpetrators were convicted in only 75 cases of rape and 1476 cases of indecent assault. This translates into a conviction rate of 19.6% and 28.8% respectively. The rate is clearly so low. Why do perpetrators commit crime? Why do they commit it over and over again and cannot stop until they are caught by the police? A research study has found that almost all offenders have committed far more crimes than the number of times they have been charged. Some have committed such crimes even hundreds or thousands of times. (Yuen, Working group on Assessment and treatment of Sex Offender 2004)) There are biological, psychological, sociological and cultural reasons behind the crime. Mythologies of rape and indecent assault also contribute. Traditional gender roles and sexism are still common in Hong Kong. Art might be able to serve as a means to arouse the awareness of this issue.

Reference:
1. Ng, Irene. RainLily 466 Calls from the Victims: The problem of Sexual Violence Cannot Be Ignored. Association Concerning Sexual Violence Against Women, Jan. 2005.
2.Reddington, Frances P. and Kreisel, Betsy Wright (edited). Sexual assault : the victims, the perpetrators, and the criminal justice system, Durham, N.C. : Carolina Academic Press, 2009.
3. Basford, Johanna. Secret garden: an inky treasure hunt and coloring book. Laurence King Publishing, 2013.
4. Finkelhor, D. Child Sexual Abuse: New theory and research. New York: The Free Press, 1984. Print.

Exhibition
Why Not? Fotan Open Studios 20/21/27/28 - 1- 2018

近期看見性侵受害人遭網絡攻擊，頓感同理心的重要性，於是創作了三款填色紙，分別是如果我是受害人、施暴者和旁觀者，觀眾可以代入三種角色想想，在火炭開放工作室期間可到我的工作室大家一起填色和聊聊相關話題。參考《秘密花園》填色書，填色有療癒、靜心思考的作用，這對相關人士或許有作用。另方面，這議題亦應可自由討論，所以今次開放工作室回歸藝術製作的模式，我會與公眾一起填色、聊天，完成的作品會製成動畫，在本地和外地展出，進一步推動公眾對相關議題的關注。

為何「如果我是」三種人？

一般人都有性慾，為何有些人會成為強姦犯？
Finkelhor（1984）提出性罪行的4個先決條件：
1. 施暴者想與受害人發生性接觸；
2. 施暴者能克服良心責備或不害怕被懲罰；
3. 外在環境許可，例如與受害者獨處，或在擠迫的公共交通工具上，(我引伸又例如在一個喜歡責備受害人、縱容施暴者的文化內，對想追求正義的人不友善的環境) ；
4. 施暴者能克服受害人的阻力，例如他/她們會專挑害羞怕事的女孩或小孩子，又或能夠說服受害人（通過威脅，乞討或迷惑的手段，說這是愛之類）不舉報罪行。

根據Finkelhor的理論，看來要有效防止罪行，重點應在施暴者，始終他/她們都是主動那一個，一方面喚醒他/她們的良心，另方面要明白犯事會有後果。環境和旁觀者亦有責任，社會有沒有提供一個安全的環境？遇事旁觀者會否相助？亦應強化潛在受害人及所有人的心理質素，要懂得自保和應對。

所以作品《釋色如果我是》有三款，希望自己和大家對這三種人都有多些想像。

為何是填色？

除上所述，填色有療癒的作用，也因為活動可以集合大家一起討論和一起做些事情，相信這樣對議題可以有深入一些的理解。大家一起填色，圖案是花，回歸大自然往往都可帶來平靜，填色紙的空間也可以讓大家發表意見。我們又可以邊畫邊聊，一張圖就是一格動畫，我會集合大家的創作會變成動畫展出。可參考我之前的動畫「一人一心」。

社會交往式藝術

藝術可以是尋找自我的過程，甚麼才是自己真正的想法？答案需要思考和時間的沈澱。對於性侵議題，我很佩服有勇氣站出來說自己的故事的#MeToo受害人，她們的說話應被重視及得到支持。若還未能説出口，需時間思考的，可以甚麼也不用說，先療癒自己，所以今次活動，大家可以選擇只簡單填色，亦可以寫下自己的看法。作品題目是「釋色」而不是「填色」，是因為自我已存在，通過藝術，我們尋回和釋放原本的自己。